Dean Guitars -The Untold Stories

What's going on with Dean Guitars? They have been making tabloid-style headlines over the last several years. We talk directly to the Dean Guitars team and take a deep dive into the brands 48 year history to unearth the untold stories.
Hosted by Tracy Hoeft our guitar industry insider. He has been part of the management teams at guitar brands like B.C. Rich, Gibson Guitars, Michael Kelly Guitars, and several decades ago even Dean Guitars.

[@SeanPierceJohnson]

Dudes! I'm 5 minutes in and this concept is BONKERS good. This is the kind of stuff I've always wanted to do when meeting builders and brands. Keep it coming!

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Thanks SPJ! 🙏🏼 We are really loving getting to work on these new The Guitar Industry Insider videos. Since we are all about guitar gear it seemed like a perfect compliment to our gear content with guides like you. There is more to come like this for sure.

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Loved the video. Thank you for posting it.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Thanks Phillip that means a lot coming from you. 🙏🏼 I have enjoyed your coverage on the topic and especially your insights on the recent news. Thanks for that and thanks for checking out our video.

[@joselopez6990]

The Dime deal how it ended was just sad as a fan and as an outsider looking in

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Agreed.

[@joselopez6990]

@@NoFearGuitarGear I had posted an image on a fan site of a Dime Dean Guitar that should have been made a month before the deal ended just for the sake of posting it because even though I had and still do have poor guitar playing abilities I just wanted the Damageplan Dean Guitars because in my opinion, the Pantera Dean Guitars you have to have a level of worthiness

[@jonnyhafer936]

Ive played 2 60s fender jaguars for over 20 years they are my goto guitars for everything ive wanted a ml since i first started guitar almost 30 years i finally got an ml and i absoulutly love it. Ill be playing my first show with it this friday

[@georgepagakis9854]

IMO the early years Dean Guitars where as good as 50's and 60's Gibson's. They had the sound and feel of an old guitar.

[@cylos_mx8524]

I love this brand and I wish I can get the ML ,Split tail ,Razor ,and Cadillac all in left hand but its a challenge. I currently got a VX left hand and loving it! Please consider to make more left handed guitars!

[@ShredworthyDave]

Keep up with these dean videos! I met all the heads of dean at NAMM this year. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Patrick was especially ambitious with his take on the future of dean guitars. Pam, Eric and Chris were amazing people as well. Loved meeting them. They were all down to earth and had a similar no bullshit attitude that matched mine. Im happy to see them prosper and grow the brand to new heights 🤘🤘🤘

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Thanks for sharing that story and thanks for your support. Their rebuild does seem promising and they are nice folks. We really like to see as many brands like this survive and thrive as possible, just so that guitar players have all the options.

[@ShredworthyDave]

@NoFearGuitarGear from my conversations with them they are really driven . I hope to visit the dean factory 1 day i own over 50 of their guitars and love everyone of em💪🤘

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

@@ShredworthyDave Wow you have 50 Dean Guitars, that is impressive! The factory is cool, I hope you do get the chance to visit.

[@shiningumbreon4322]

“You can’t kill a Dean” has a whole new meaning. I am a Gibson fanatic, they’re my all time fav guitars, but I’m rooting for Dean in this one. I will say this though, the split v headstock was a Gibson original idea from the 57’ futura.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Right there with you. Indeed the Futura had the split V, but Dean did give it there own touch of bold.

[@jacknone1564]

We have PR to do!!! Quick, put on flip flops and stained shorts!

[@rottingcorpse6002]

I have several USA custom shop Dean MLFs I ordered during the highs of the DOA years/parties. They are absolute units. Beautifully built true custom guitars. The Elliott years were fantastic. If I wanted another one, I would have zero qualms about going to Dean HQ, walking right in and working out the order form with whomever was running the show now because I know that in-house wood shop kicks all sorts of ass. Big shout out to BraveDave and Jim6 and all my bros from the Dean forum!

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us and the community here. Much appreciated.

[@hellboundTX333]

Spittail rules MF'er! Lol

[@sassycat]

I got to take a tour of the Dean guitar plant in Tampa back in 2017. I was impressed with the quality of their custom shop builds and have long hoped to buy a Cadillac and/or ML. I know Mr. Zelinsky is building his own line again and wish him the best, but his original creations still have my undivided attention.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

It is cool that you were able to visit their custom shop. A custom shop Cadillac does sound cool.

[@sakidickerson]

I love dean! Hope they continue to do well. And bring back the Straight Six Z

[@Psichlo1]

The Gibson lawsuits are absurd, tons of brands make the "explorer/V" shape. No one is going to accidentally buy a Dean because they thought it was a GIbson, Gibson is lawsuit happy, plain and simple. As far as the Dime issues, I don't think that you can hold the current incarnation of Dean responsible for what happened in the past. Having said that, the fact that they lost a ton of artists around the same time leads credence to Rita's claims. According to the lawsuit, the razorback was Dime's own design and was supposed to stay with him and his likeness and name wasn't supposed to be put on any other products, which Dean violated. They went so far as to release an ML that was essentially the same color pattern as the Dean From Hell with a Zero fucks given on the ad. I think that speaks volumes to their attitude and feelings on DIme's legacy.

[@sinakaedwards2009]

The best thing about Dean coming from a guy who plays bass, they always had a V style bass. Wish they would make a Vengeance bass model.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Dean has never done enough with bass guitars, the brand has dabbled in it, but adding something like the V-bass would be really cool. Maybe they will read your comment here and add some.

[@sinakaedwards2009]

@@NoFearGuitarGear I think they should try to have something like a cross between a EBMM Stingray type sound, Warwick, Spector, and Ibanez. Like have the ML, a Zero, a Vengeance, an Exile shaped bass at entry level. Then they could also make the boutique type high end basses That Ibanez, Warwick, and Spector offer. If Dean does read this the one thing I would say that will make their basses stand out is like Sire, make almost everything active with a bypass switch. If all active basses came with a passive switch it would be the best improvement industry wide.

[@Gaius_Arminius]

Yes I would love a vengeance bass

[@PuttinOnTheRiffs]

Amazing video

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Thanks so much! 🙏🏼

[@JonnySoundSounds]

i play 60's psych garage rock and stoner rock im a huge pantera fan and loved dime. i personally think the dean ml is the real dime guitar i play a regular chicago flame series ml no floyd, however i find most dime fans want the washburn guitars or one of each or more. just keep making the classic ml and dean will be all good. i dont know if they will be a be able to keep up as a huge company but i think threre are enough of us that still dig dean id like to get a cadillac more than a les pau as ive owned tons of les pauls

[@i.m.p4555]

I like dean guitars they look really cool

[@jonnyhafer936]

My good buddy tony krank was signing with dime as well to make a krank amps dime signature. Dimes death severly effected krank amps as well it was such a loss to the metal world for so many reasons mainly dime was just such an awesome person

[@christopherfidler3019]

loved the Kahler name drop. Gary is awesome.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Agreed, you don't hear much talk about Kahler these days, good to have them on the radar.

[@rfdunbar]

And now they have won the appeal against Gibson. I can't imagine that Gibson will re-file the case now that the new data regarding other builder's use of the V and Explorer shapes has been admitted as evidence. Dean has always been a favorite of mine and I think they'll be very successful in the future.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

It is good that the errors of the original case have been undone. It will be interesting to see if Gibson wants to move forward now that the real history of this will be available to the jury. Thanks for checking out our video.

[@josephdennany2634]

Love dean guitars...regardless

[@sinakaedwards2009]

I feel like Dean is the American Ibanez or ESP. I feel the same about Jackson. Dean also felt to me as the affordable Gibson. I was never a big fan of the original headstock though; however, they nailed it on the Vengeance and the Zero. Those two have the best headstocks of any model like them out there. I like that headstock and the EBMM Stingray 3+1 style. I really have a hard time liking headstocks of guitars and basses. The Gibson Thunderbird has a great headstock, it's big and all, but when it is done right it looks nice. Same with the Firebird.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Thanks for sharing your feedback here. It is interesting to hear from real players on how they see the brand and what they would want to see. Great take!

[@steved2870]

As interesting as company issues can be I don’t give two shites about that, every business has ups and downs, it’s the guitars that matter the most. Deans are iconic without being the same ole thing. Quite frankly I’d buy more if they were readily available in Australia. Which I sincerely hope occurs. With a Vengeance

[@pschuleit]

check with DI MUSIC in OZ.....product should be hitting about now

[@MilitantOldLady]

The only way Dean can get themselves back on track is to get themselves in the stores and in people’s hands. Establish a good reputation for quality again and just win that trust back. Deeds over words.

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Great observation. It makes sense that making a killer instrument and having it in places where people can try it can have an impact. Thanks!

[@JonnySoundSounds]

dimes death hurt my good buddy tony krank brand krank amps also. they had just signed a deal and tony had to go into business with some investors to make the amount of amps they were gonna need and then dime was killed and things went haywire at the company it was so sad iwatch tony build krank amps from his garage to a small shop to going huge to it falling apart

[@kieronjones7971]

Half way through I get a pop up add from Fender

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

We appreciate Fender helping to pay our bills. 🤣

[@ZakiRa1111]

DEAN is not that brand anymore, disrespecting dimes name like that killed the company in my eyes.

[@DeadGlassEyes]

Dime playing the ML literally saved them, but it's not cool of them to just... come up with new designs on their own, without asking anyone, and just pumping out shitty Dime guitars for the money. Not cool at all.

[@FG-vp6id]

Jesus Christ, just dont go bankrupt until i get my Select ML

[@clutch2827]

Damage plan, I mean damage control. Lol!

[@cigdamagelungs]

Can I get a rebel dime?

[@AkaSnugD]

Maybe if you want to inspire confidence in the future of your company, flip flops and shorts aren’t the best choice for PR interview

[@peterbehrendt7915]

dean guitars are the best in world----i cant bye dean in germany please please dean come back please i wish a dean flyingv ore ml i cant bye here please come back i am 68🌄🌄🌄🗽🗽fuck gibson🚾

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Great to hear from a true Dean fan. Hopefully they will come back to Germany soon.

[@danielktdoranie]

Dean sucks

[@NoFearGuitarGear]

Can I ask why you feel that way? Not trying to change your mind or anything, we are genuinely interested. This brand like many guitar brands outside of the big legacy brands seem to be polarizing. Players seem to be rabid fans or haters, few in the middle. Are your feelings based on the brand in general, recent issues, or just a strong preference for another brand? We really want to learn from the community here and understand both the love and the hate.

[@danielktdoranie]

@@NoFearGuitarGeartheir stuff in the late 70s and early 80s was quality… now it’s all over priced poor quality guitars. They use stickers or as they call it “photo flame finish”. I don’t care that they have guitars made in China, Indonesia and South Korea: what keeps me from buying a Dean guitar is the very poor quality. One can buy a guitar for a lot less that’s a lot higher quality.

[@jacknone1564]

@@danielktdoranie I wanted a ML so badly when I was in younger clothes. Bought one years later and the disappointment was devastating. No balance, shite tuners, checked finish, crackling pot. From a brand new guitar. Made in America means fuck all. All around shit guitar. Sorry Dean, I tried. I’ll never try again.

[@danielktdoranie]

@@jacknone1564 it’s shameful bud